What should your resting heart rate be? This is a question I am asked everyday as a cardiologist. Can your resting heart rate, also known as your pulse, predict just how long you will live?

A fascinating study was just published this past week on resting heart rate and lifespan. In this article, I will share the latest research on how your resting heart rate may predict how long you will live….

If you consult online with the Mayo Clinic, they will tell you that a normal resting heart rate is 60 to 100 bpm. While this may be a typical resting heart rate, it is certainly not an optimal resting heart rate. Read on to find out what your goal resting heart rate should be….

This past week, media headlines loudly proclaimed, “Slow Heart Rate Doesn’t Mean Early Death Risk.” As a cardiologist knowing that a slow heart rate is actually protective, I was quite surprised to see these eye catching headlines.

Despite hundreds of studies showing that slower heart rates are associated with longer lifespans, every day I see patients who are worried that their heart rate is too slow. Let’s take a look at the scientific data from this latest study on heart rate and lifespan.

In this study, researchers enrolled 6,733 mostly middle aged people. Everyone’s resting heart rate was recorded at the beginning of the study. These study participants were then followed closely for 10 years to see who died and who was still alive 10 years later.

Here is what they found:

1. If the resting heart rate was naturally slower than 50 bpm, survival was 29% higher.

2. If the resting heart rate was artificially lowered with medications to less than 50 bpm, the risk of death was 2.4 times higher.

3. If the resting heart rate was naturally faster than 80 bpm, there was a 49% higher chance of dying during the study.

4. If the resting heart rate was faster than 80 bpm, despite medications to slow the heart, the risk of death was 3.6 times higher.